THE O0LOG1ST. 



211 



species to those that breed at Raleigh. 

 A few minutes later I found a third 

 Least Bitterns nest just finished, similar 

 iu construction and situation to the other 

 two. Next day May 31,1 killed two more 

 Least Bittern, both males and found a 

 fourth nest, containing live hard sat 

 eggs. This nest was built of dead cat-tail 

 leaves and was placed two and a half 

 feet above the water, in a tall bunch of 

 live cattails, and was saucer-shaped like 

 the others. On visiting the nest I found 

 the previous day, 1 approached to 

 within three feet of it before noticing 

 that the old bird was on the nest and 

 she did look funny; she was standing or 

 sitting on the nest, I could not well see 

 which, her body and neck perfectly up- 

 right and her bi pointing straight up- 

 wards a so. 



Her body and neck were flattened as 

 much as possible and her light yellow 

 •ej^es stuck out on each side of her head 

 as she stood facing me as motionless as 

 .a statue, looking so long and thin. I 

 almost laughed as I looked at her; on 

 making a slight movement she flew off 

 and I let her go unharmed; however, I 

 did not get a set from the nest as a very 

 heavy rain the next day beat the nest all 

 out of shape and when I went a week 

 later to take the nest it had been desert- 

 ed. And with I this will close what 

 was to me an interesting chapter in the 

 study of our marsh birds. 



The American Magpie. 

 ( Pica pica hudsonica. ) 



I propose to the friends of the "Oolo- 

 •Oist" the intelligence of the 'American 

 Magpie." 



These lines will be fully appreciated 

 by those who have lived among the 

 western snow capped mountains, the 

 abode of this curious bird, and have 

 witnessed the grand and wild scenery 

 which makes one feel inspired with no- 

 ibler and grander thoughts; and "look 



through Nature to "Nature's God," ev- 

 en through the cunning and rogueish 

 tricks of the Magpie. 



This bird may be found within the 

 range of the Rocky Mountains, but not 

 as far west as California. It will be 

 seen more abundantly iu Colorado, 

 Montana and the neighboring states. 



Their nests are very conspicuous and 

 large being made of small dry sticks 

 strongly placed in the top of a bunch of 

 willows by the side of a creek, or iu 

 some large pine tree «on the mountain 

 side. The size of their nest varies from 

 ten to eighteen inches in width and 

 from fifteen to forty inches in height with 

 an arched roof and a hole in the side 

 near the the top for the entrance of the 

 bird. 



The Magpie commences to lay in April 

 but May is the month in which most 

 of the eggs are deposited. Last spring 

 I took a clutch of seven from a nest the 

 first of April. The number of eggs var- 

 ies from five to nine commonly seven to 

 eight, and are of a greyish white with a 

 yellowish or greenish tinge, variously 

 mottled with purplish or violet brown. 



The American Magpie is well known 

 among the earlier travelers and settlers 

 as may be seen by reading and hearing 

 the various stories related about the cun- 

 ning and thieving habits of this bird. 

 They have been known to fly in the 

 house at dinner hour and seize a piece 

 of meat from the plate even when the 

 occupants were seated around the table. 

 They v\ ill steal anything they can get 

 hold of and if they are a pet bird as was 

 the case quite often among the early 

 settlers to have tame Magpies they gen- 

 erally made it a poiut to get hold of a 

 great deal more than desired by the un- 

 fortunate ones who had to go without 

 something for their dinner. 



There is one curious trait about this 

 bird that is quite interesting. It will 

 alight upon the cattle and horses while 

 out on the ranges in the winter months 

 and pick the grubs from their backs, 



